Goal of Exams
There is only one way and that way is to go forward. You can practise aikido until your death and keep on developing yourself. This can be done physically, mentally and/or spiritually. This does not apply only to the youth. Also, when you grow older, as your body starts to deteriorate, you can influence how fast and how healthy you will age.
Try to master as many skills at an early age and do so in the proper order. Regularly doing exams provides you with a framework for your development and guides you step by step through it.
As we develop together, exams are a way to validate your knowledge and skills so that you can apply it and help other learning.
Running water never grows stale
— Bruce Lee
Graduation
All grades prior to the black belt are called kyu in aikido. When you start with aikido you do not have a grade yet and that is called mukyu. After that, you can take exams for the sixth kyu up to and including the first kyu. A white belt is worn at all these grades.
For the youth, there are exams from the twelfth to the seventh kyu. After passing these exams, a colored slip is placed on the white belt.
After the first kyu, an exam can be taken for the black belt. Black belt grades are called dan. The first black belt is called shodan, which means beginner’s dan. After that, they are called second dan, third dan, etc.
All exam requirements can be found in the curriculum of our federation. Exams are held by our teachers in generally January and June. All graduations are officially registered and internationally Aikikai recognized.
Kyu Exams
If the main teacher informs you that you can do a kyu exam, you have to register with the form below.
Registration for youth exams is done by the teacher.
Dan Exams
Our aikido federation Sanshinkai Aikido Nederland organizes dan exams. On their website is the registration form for this when your main teacher informs you that you can do a dan exam.